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From: LBrenkus.ADL@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Freesoft Utilities, Graphics Dump, and IBM "Kit"
Message-ID: <14040@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-Nov-83 04:12:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.14040
Posted: Sat Nov 26 04:12:00 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Nov-83 03:46:35 EST
Lines: 18

(1) The Freesoft utilities are freeware, not free. They do not include
source code, and the first screen of each utility is a chain-letter
come-on: you can make MONEY (word flashes) by "registering" your copy
($40 fee), getting back a copy with your number, and getting others to
copy your disk and register it -- $10 kickback. The philosophy is
emphatically not public-domain freely available code, just a new way
to add greed to freeware. They're also not that great.

(2) A graphics dump does exist for printers other than IBM/Epson: The
most recent issue of PC-World has the listing for "GRUMP", a graphics
dump written in BASIC using a machine language subroutine. It can be
customized for almost any printer-- the article gives details.

(3) I agree that the IBM "kit" is cheaper. In fact, it has become
easier to get PC's without disk drives--our local IBM product center
was even willing to supply them that way, but we got a 10% company
discount from another retailer (again, without drives). Half-height
drives are only $200 each mail-order.